Shock-absorber for automobiles.



i @wi/humm@ J. 0. LAUTENBAGHER n A. GEARY, SHOCK ABSORBEB. FOB. AUTOMGBILES.

APPLIUATION FILED 1120.3, 191s.

lpggggyl Patented. May 26,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J, C. LAUTENBACHER L A, GEARY.

SHOCK ABSQHBE Ry POR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION TLED DBG.3,1913.

Patented May 26, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@0i/kwamen SHOCY-.ABERBER FUE, .UTOMOBILES Specification of Letters eteut` Application tiled December S, 15H3.

??atented May 26, ldt,

Serial No. SLi/3278.

Be it l-:nmvh that We. diminuiti rnmmnrn and Amit-iur tiene@ eitizen.: the United States, residing at 55m-hui Haven, in the f'ounty of Swhn'lh'ill, State ot Pennsylvania, have invented Certain nea and usetnl improvements: in hoeleftlmorbers for Alumni-alias, of whieh the following a deseril'ition. reference being had to the aeeotnl'aanyingdrawing and to the figures of referente marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful irlll'n'ovemeiits in shoel-z absorbers for automobiles.

Aa objort ot' the invention to provide a shock absorber which is stibsiantially inet'- ieetive to theI dotvinvard movements of the body of the automobilen thus giving the springs their full elastic effect, ano wvhirh opi-,rates to prevent a rebound of the automobile body. due. to 'the reartion of the springs, `whereby the upward movement et the automobile body, due to the returning: ot

the springsto their normal position? is gradual.

fr 'further ob]eet'. of the invention is to provide a shorli absorber of the above type which may be readily ad) usted to vary the .control of the Upward movement of the automobile body. l

These and other objects will in part be obvious, and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

n thev drawings whi-h show by way of illustration one embodiment oit the invention, ,Figure l is a longitudinal sectional .View through the rear `part ot' an antmnobile,

, 'showing the invention applied tl1eret ')-lt`ig.

f2 is a transverse .sectional vien' oi the same; Fig. 5l is an enlarged detail in perspeotivo showing one of the shook absorl'iere, detaehed from thel machine; Figl is an enlarged vertical sectional vievf through the shorkV absorber; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail ot the upper end of the valve tube. whiffh permits air to freely enter the Cylinder.

The invention eoi'xsifsts generally in pr; 'ridingy an automobile body with a shook absorber, one element ot' which is attached either directly or indirectly to the axle oi the running gear. while. the other element of said shock absorber is attached to the body of the vehicle.v There may be a number of these shook absorbers used, as, for example, two in the rear .of the body ofthe vehicle and tivo :n liaeeut the Vtorward'end et' the body of the vehicle. llaeh oil these shook absorbers includes a cylinder and a movable piston. l"be eylinder is [neterably the element conneeted to the. axle. while the piston is Connected to the body et the vehicle. Adjacent. the upper end o the oyiinder is a valve controlled port, which is so constructed as to freely admit air t. the cylinder on a downward movement -o the piston, so that the downward movement of the piston is not; retardeift in any Way, and thereby the full ei'eel; ot thev springs may be utiliyied. This valve which pe nite the air to freely enter the cylinder closes on the upward movement; oi the pistou and prevents ahy air '"rom passing through said port. .ildjaeent the upper end of the eylindf'er is an outlet which is controlled by a Aneedle valve so that the size of the outlet may be varied. The air escapes from the cylinder through this outlet- 'and permits the piston to rise slovfly in. the cylinter. The upward nioveniens of the piston may be controlled by adjusting the needle valve.

Referring more in detail to the drawings,

the automobile body indicated more or less diagramniatioally by the numeral l. This automobile body is supported by springs 2, which may be 0l any desired type. The springs are attached either directly or indirectly to the automobile body, and are likewise attached to the axle 3 of the running gear. These parts may be of any desired eonetrnetion.

Uur improved shook' absorber 4 consists o' a eylii'ider 5; in which is a piston 6, rigidly attawhed to a piston rod T. The cylinder 5 is threaded onto a nase plate S, which is fastened to a braf'lv'et t). 'The bracket 9 is preferably formed in tivo sections, which are elalnped about the axle ft by suitable holte 1t). This two-part brai'ket provides a spare 'il in whirl; the piston rod' may reeiprowate. The piston rod is formed with an enlarged head l2 at its lovfer end. Als herein showin two plates 13 are fastened to the body Vl ot the automobile, and .these plates are iornu'd with reresses to receive the piston rod. The reeesses are preferably of snfh ,dizo a--z to engage the head lf2 -on tte loner end ol'- the piston rofl, and any flovvnvvard n'iovernent ot the automobile body will torce the piston rod dmvmvardly, earryingvthe' piston head therewith. rthe soi supporting plate S has a central opening 14 which serves as a guidefor the piston rod. rl'his plate also has openings lo, which provides free communication between the space underneath the piston head in the cylinder and the outer atmosphere.

At the upper end of the cylinder 5 there is an opening into which i's threaded a short tube 16. This tube 16 is formed with notches lo' in its upper edge. Said tube is also formed with a vulve seat lll' at its lower end. A valve I8 is carried by the stem 19 which is of smaller diameter than the-tube l5. A disk 20 is mounted on the upper end ol the valve siem. A downward movement of the piston head will cause the valve 1S to move from its seat and this movement of the valve is limited by the disk 20. When the disk 20 rests 0n the upper end'o the tube 16, air will be freely admitted through the notches 16 andthe space around the valve stem 19 to the upper part of the-cylinder. 'lhis lree inrushing of the air permits the piston head 6 to move directly with the automobile body 'without in any wayI restrict ing the full elastic movement of the spring. The cylinder 5 is also -previded with an opening which receives a valve 21. The valve 2l has a passage 22 which is provided with a valve seat 23. Said valve has a dis charge nozzle 24 and a needle valve 25 which cooperates with the seat Thisneedle valve can be adjusted relative to its seat for varying the size ofthe discharge passage through the valve. `Some airmay pass into the cylinder through this valve 21 'on the downward movement of the piston. All the air passes out through said valve on the upward movement of the niston, which at once closes the valve 18. The rapidity with which the air is released from the cylinder de ends upon the adjustment of the needle.

va vri/25. As snown in Fig. 4, a pipe 26 may be associated with'the discharge nor/ale 24 so that the air discharged from the cylinder may be conducted through the pipe 26 to the radiator of the automobile to assist in air coolingvthe same.y This pipe 26 will, ot course, pass through an openingr in the automobilebody. The pipe is so arranged that the automobile body may move up and down on the same.

The operation of our device is as follows: When the wheel's'of the automobile strike an obotriiction,` the aulox'nobile body is free to move downward toward the axle ot' the wheels, compressing the springs 2. downward movement of the autouuibile body in no ways restricted by ourshock absorber', a the pistons are free tol move `downward-rn the cylinder unrestricted. .A rubber washer 2G may lie-located in each cylinder il desired lo receive the shook of any ermessive throw 'of 'the piston in the cylirui'ers. vThe rebound oi the automobile This i body on the returning of the springs to their normal position is, however, talten up by the shock absorber, as the air trapped in the eylinders above the piston heads is allowed lo escupe slowly through the needle vulves 2l, and, therefore, the automobile-body and the springs will be gradually returned to their normal position. l\`urthernun'e, it will be noted that by my construction wherein the valve through which the air escapes is lo rated at sonic distance below the upper end of the cylinder, a smul] amount of air will be trapped und cushion the piston s o that when the paris have come to final resting position the weight of the body of the automobile so far as carried by the stem 7 of the piston is carried on` an air cushion, The valve 1S is closed at this time.

While we have described a specific construction of shock absorber, and a particnlar arrangement of the same relative to the axle and body of the automobile, it will be understood that both the details of eon struction and the arrangement of the shock absorber may he varied without departing from the 'spirit of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what We elaim'is:

. 1. Ashock absorber for automobiles wm prising a vertically arranged cylinder, a piston movable in said cylinder, said cylinder having a. valve controlled air escape port arranged horizontally in its vertical wall adjacent the upper end, and a separate valve control intake port in the upper face of the cylinder permitting air to enter freely into t e cylinder above the piston, said valve control intake port including a tube secured in the upper end of said cylinder and with a valve seat adjacent the lower end of said tube with openings to the atmosphere adjacent the upper end of said tube, and a valve normally out of engagement with said seat but moved into engagement therewith by the upward movement of the piston.

2. A shock absorber for automobilist, romprisingr a cylinder, a piston movable ii nl cylinder, saidv `cylinder having a valve controlled air cseapeport adjacent; its upper end, and a separate valve controlled intake port which permits air to enter freely into said cylinder above the piston. said' valve controlled intake port including a tube threaded into said cylinder and having a valve seat adjacent its lower end, and notches adjacent the upper end thereof, a

valve adapted to engage said seat, a disk connected to said valve, and adapted to engage theupper notched edge of said tube.

2l. A shoelrabsorber for automobiles comprising a cylinder above the floor of the automobile body, a bracket extending through said floor and attached to the axle of the automobile, a piston located in said cylinder, a

lLlO

piston rod eonnececl eo said piston means foi attaching seid pison. iod to ille sintomobilebedy, said oylinde having a valve contijelled eil' escape port adjacent the upper end thereoiand 'a sepa'ete 'valve conrolled intake poet which permits air to enter freely into the vcylinder above lie piston when sal; piston is moving downwardly in the eylinfler'endl'whieh closes when said piston moveupw''lgg in, the cylinder.

4., A shock absorber foi auomobiles, comprising a cylinder, supporting plate cai1- "tying seid eyliner, a, bracket en which said .the body of illethi-engin supporting pete is mouned, bracket being edaptedyto be connected te the axle of the automobile, a. piston movable ins-aid eylindei e. piston rod connected to said pie ton, Seial supporting plate having an opening through 'which said piston rofl eriends, means adapted to connect said piston poil to automobile, seid cylinder having a, needle valve contreliec air escape pori edjeoen is uppe lg e separe@ -velve controlled inake pore which permits ai? o ente? freely ine, said eylinder and which prevens the zur irrozn escaping theresai an intake pezinelding a tube 'threaded into seid eylinei and having :i- Valve seat adjacent its iowez end, a valve adapted te engage said seat, and means for supporting said valve, seid tube having openings to permit free aoe'ess of air to the cylinder when said valve is open.

5. A shook ebsei'ber for automobiles comprising e bracket secured to the axle thereof, e supporting slate :Lteched lo the bracket, said supporting plaie having air openings and a central opening for guiding the piston rod, a piston rod, and a piston* connected thereto movable in said eylin-w der, said cylinder having a needle valve eontrollecl en escapeport arranged in its vertical Wall adjacent its upper end and luaviuieF in its upper end e separate valve efmtrolle` inlaliepetnormally open to permit air to ener freely into said cylinder but which prevents the air from escaping therethrough in the mov'enen of J:he 'piston in one direction.

n esimony. whereof, We affix our signelm'es, in the presence of 'we witnesses.

JEREMH C. LU''ENBACHER.

Gele?.

illnesses Tios, TINDLE,

HAS. WV. CLIFF. 

